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Henkel is unlikely to make any acquisitions soon, despite investor expectations, as it does not see many profitable opportunities in the market, according to this article. However, "opportunities will yet emerge over the coming three years," CEO Kasper Rorsted said.

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Henkel's new CEO, Hans Van Bylen, assumed his role in May along with the legacy of former CEO Kasper Rorsted, who was able to triple share price over the past eight years and increase net earnings by almost 60%. One of Van Bylen's first acts as CEO was to sign off on the $3.6 billion acquisition of Sun Products.

Henkel sees North America as an attractive opportunity to make strategic purchases, particularly as it looks to expand in areas such as hair care and laundry products, says CEO Kasper Rorsted. "If we can get strong assets in the emerging countries, they have the compelling underlying that they will deliver higher long-term growth, but we see very few quality assets in the emerging markets," Rorsted said.

Laundry detergent manufacturers will continue to develop products that are sustainable and save consumers time, according to Brian Sansoni, vice president of communication and membership at the American Cleaning Institute. Recent innovations along these lines include laundry packets, in-wash boosters and detergents that can work in cold water, he said. "Energy costs aren't going down, so anywhere you can take advantage of product and equipment technology to help save cost, that's always a positive."

SC Johnson's renewable energy initiatives include wind power in Toluca, Mexico, and solar power at a plant in Shanghai. This piece explores 10 of SC Johnson's sustainability initiatives around the globe.